Businesses prepare for construction of 9 miles of Dixie Highway on April 1

Christine Strong and her brother Tom Brown, co-owners of Waterfall Jewelers in Waterford. Waterfall is one of the businesses that will be affected by the Dixie Highway construction. The construction starts April 1 and will effect Dixie from Telegraph Road in Waterford to I-75 in Independence Township. (The Oakland Press/TIM THOMPSON)

Traffic may be moving at a slower pace from April to November on Dixie Highway in Independence, Waterford and Springfield townships as a nine-mile stretch is resurfaced.

This $19.2 million construction project, which begins April 1 and lasts through November, will affect almost 400 businesses located on this stretch. But many business owners said they know these repairs are necessary considering the road has not been redone since the 1980s.

Tom Brown, owner of Waterfall Jewelers, said, "The pot holes need to be fixed or it's just going to get worse. At least we know that the township and the state understand that for commerce, the infrastructure has to be in place, and the main thing is the roads. And they have to be in good condition."

This business, at 5649 Dixie Hwy., in Waterford Township, is located in the middle of this stretch -- north of the Dixie Highway and I-75 interchange in Springfield Township to Dixie and Telegraph Road at the border of Pontiac and Waterford. The funding of the project is 80 percent federal and 20 percent state split, says the Michigan Department of Transportation.

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"I wish they could come up with something, as far as the product used to pave the roads, that will last longer and that doesn't deteriorate quite as rapidly," said Brown.

The construction project will start with sewer work mostly between Frembes and Ortonville roads, said Rob Morosi, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation Metro Detroit Region. During the winter, the drainage system was videotaped so MDOT could see what sections were failing and needed replacing.

Morosi said MDOT anticipates that resurfacing of the highway will not begin until the end of May, when temperatures are warmer. The construction project will also include curb repairs, sidewalk repairs and traffic signal upgrades.

"The foundation of the road is still in good condition. It's the driving surface that needs attention," said Morosi. "The condition obviously warrants the fix. The surface has deteriorated to the point where there's no maintenance you can do. You have to grind off the surface and repair any cracks below where you grind off and then put the new pavement down."

This highway, in most areas, is five lanes, he said. The highway will be resurfaced about two miles at a time, said Morosi, so the entire nine-mile stretch will not be affected all seven months.

"We're going to maintain as many lanes as we can with more impact during the overnight hours and on weekends. Monday through Friday during business hours, we will close a single lane in each direction. Then on weekends and overnight hours (8 p.m. to 6 a.m.) especially during the summer, that's when we're going to go down to one lane in each direction. Then you'll have multiple lane closures," he said.

MDOT has been in constant contact with business owners, said Morosi, and will continue to update owners as the construction progresses.

"We have set up with the business owners the opportunity for them to be kept abreast on any upcoming changes through blast emails. Our crews and consultants have been up and down the corridor, talking to them. Business owners are aware this is coming," he said.

Morosi said the most significant impact to drivers will be the replacement of the bridge over Clinton River just north of Hatchery Road in Waterford Township, which will close this section to one lane each direction around the clock from after Memorial Day through the end of the project in November. Morosi said the bridge construction will close lanes of the highway for a quarter-mile in each direction.

"With bridge replacement, you remove the entire bridge and you build from the ground up," said Morosi. "You're looking at a full construction season to replace that bridge."

Loon Lake Bar and Grill, located at the corner of Hatchery Road and Dixie Highway, is near this bridge.

But owner Gus Nannoshi said he's not too worried about the construction affecting his restaurant.

"A bar business is not like a retail business like CVS where people get in and get out really fast. People come here to eat. They stick around for a while. Honestly, I don't know. I've never been in this situation before," said Nannoshi.

Loon Lake, previously called Sweet Water Bar and Grill, opened in this location three years ago. Nannoshi said the restaurant is busiest between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., and he doesn't think the construction will affect this crowd from coming.

"There's hundreds of businesses on Dixie, so it's not just going to be us. We're just going to have to deal with whatever comes our way," he said. "There are a lot of bad parts of (Dixie Highway) - really huge pot holes. It seems that all year round they're patching them up. I think it will save money in the long run."